The silence I felt from my keyboard this morning broke as I recalled the words of my daughter, “Mom, you should do something special when you hit your 200th post.”
Holy crap – that came up fast. Today marks my 200th post on my blog. (Shh, it’s really early here, don’t be so loud with your cheers, you’ll wake the pets!)
Yet…here I am, speechless, feeling a bit like when I first launched my blog. Oh, yeah, by the way, the launch day wasn’t a quick one either. “A blog in 10 minutes” for this gal wasn’t the case. It took me well over a month to get it all setup and write some posts so that I didn’t appear to be a newbie.
I definitely blended into the back ground of the blogging world. There are so many well-established blogs, strong confident writers, and other newbies venturing out into this, I kept asking myself, “How am I going to make it?” I had no idea.
So I set out on a meticulously agile approach to my blog set-up and writing. It’s technical shit, don’t ya know? When I first started, that’s what I thought I was supposed to do. Learn everything first and then it will work. Like WordPress is easy to learn, yeah right!?! (Insert laughter here, it’s okay, the pets are up now, no need to be quiet anymore!) There were many tears shed and beers consumed to get through the first few weekends (months). But I eventually found my ground as I kept on digging my way out from the obstacles, working in the peacefulness on my own.
That got frustrating trying to figure out everything about WordPress, so I took on a different angle. The day I decided to approach it as being fun to do, instead of work to do, it became easier. And, you know what, I enjoyed it!
Silence is a source of great strength. – Lao Tzu
I even stuck it out when my domain name and site renewal came up. I renewed it after I first renamed it – that was a scary kind of stuff day. I had outgrown the first title, so renaming it was another obstacle to overcome. It felt like I was starting all over again. I definitely wanted to crawl into a hole and just give up.
But I kept working at it, growing with my thoughts, adding words, photos, and posts.
Writing blog posts got easier. I took it one-day-at-a-time. I crept slowly in and out of focus, and quietly expanded my reach out into the blogosphere.
I’m happy to say I haven’t given up, despite the anonymity that comes with being a novice blogger. I’ve overcome (mostly) hearing the ridicule in my head of what I think other people think of me as a blogger. There is much to offer in the silence of the learning process and the quieting of self-doubt.
We do not believe in ourselves until someone reveals that deep inside us something is valuable, worth listening to, worthy of our trust, sacred to our touch. Once we believe in ourselves we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight or any experience that reveals the human spirit. – E.E. Cummings
When I learned to trust myself to look outside at the opportunities, reach my thoughts beyond my fears, stretch my words, and watch my blogging dreams bloom, I knew I was in a good place for me to continue blossoming.
My advice to you, on this my 200th post – if you’re new to blogging or struggling with setting up your blog – keep going, don’t give up! Hang in there, follow your heart and trust in your dreams. xxoo
Daily Post Weekly Photography Challenge: Silence
Your plants look great! How is the gnat situation?
Donna
LOL – Thanks! These were plants kept outside during the summer. The gnats…well, they’re persistent – I’ve killed well over 200 of them, and like my blogging, they’re still going strong!
Wow! You’ve reached the 200th and I’m not even half way I think. I love those succulent plants. Mine died one by one.
Thanks! They’re my daughters – she has a green thumb!!
That’s good to hear. Mine died when my children and I took a week vacation at our home town. It was left at my husband’s care. I think my plants missed me.
That’s too bad. I’ve personally not had much luck with growing succulents. My daughter has. I’m sure there’s a trick to them, but I do know that they loved being outside in our teahouse during the summer months. They thrived there.
Maybe I should have put them outside in the garden. I’ll try that next time.
I hope it works out for you!!!
I sure hope so. I love these succulent plants 😊
I am glad you did not give up. I love reading your posts! I haven’t written one this will be my thris day. I guess I just needed a break.
Thank you! I think it is important to find the right writing groove for each blogger. Some people believe 1 time per week fits them best. I’m glad you’re sticking to it too, I enjoy reading your posts!
I’ve been blogging since 2007. Been through a lot of stories over the years. Made a lot of friends and a few enemies along the way (I can’t keep my big mouth shut. I’m too opinionated!)
Just do it to have fun. That’s all!
That’s a long time, congratulations! Sharing your thoughts, stories, and opinions is definitely a way to make friends and enemies! Thank you for the advice – have fun, it is a very important component of blogging no doubt! Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
Congratulations on your 200th blog post!! I’m sure you learned a lot along the way, and it’s so great to read your insights. I too spent and still spend many agonizing hours learning WordPress. keep going! Thanks for the encouragement.
Thank you!! Yes, learned a lot and am still learning. I’m glad you appreciated my insights. When you get a hot tip, let me know! Thank you, too, for the encouragement! Keep GOING!
Thank you, Chris, I appreciate the pingback!
I DO miss you…
Ditto to you! Nice to hear from you, too! I’ve missed you!!!